Majority of Finns hope to tighten policies on asylum seekers: poll

The majority of Finns hope to see a tougher line on approval of asylum applications, revealed a survey published by Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat on Wednesday.

The poll showed that about 70 percent of the respondents believe that Finland should tighten its policy on accepting asylum applications.

The majority of Finns also held the view that at least those granted asylum should receive less social security benefits than native Finns.

However, 50 percent of the respondents did not consider it as a problem if the number of asylum seekers in their neighborhoods increases.

Ismo Soderling, director of the Institute of Migrant of Finland, told Helsingin Sanomat that such attitudes are really tough.

According to the survey, toughest attitudes towards asylum seekers were found among less educated laborers and entrepreneurs in Eastern and Northern Finland. Around 80 percent of them favored tougher line on asylum seekers. Only half of highly educated people have similar view.

Many of those who took the hardest line towards asylum seekers were supporters of the Finns Party, a populist party of Finland. Up to 80 percent of them said that they fully agreed that immigration policies should be tightened.

The poll was commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat and conducted by TNS Gallup in the first half of October this year. About 1,000 Finns aged from 15 to 79 participated in the study.

According to the Finnish Immigration Service, more than 20,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Finland this year. The Finnish Ministry of Interior estimated last week that 30,000 to 35,000 asylum seekers are expected to arrive in the country this year. Endit